CarpeNivem

Hi Guys. I'm sorry to have disappeared. I don't really have time to make these anymore, and since demand seemed to have dissipated anyway, I haven't really thought about it in awhile, until I received a payment recently, that wound up ignored, about which I am sorry again, but I just can't respond reliably and timely anymore, so I'll go edit the posts with PayPal links, to remove those so no one clicks them expecting a product they're very unlikely to receive. :sneaking: (PS: The payment was, of course, refunded.)

The 3 ordered above went out in today's mail. They should arrive for you all this week. Also, I've made a slight design improvement, based on availability of new materials. Previously, only white, gray, or black adhesive had been available, with black being the strongest, by a ridiculous margin. It was complete overkill, rated to hold up 20 lbs! The white would've been most appropriate, with its 5 lb rating, but it would've looked terrible, so I've been using black (for myself, and everyone else) to match the inside of the glove box. Actually, I might've used white adhesive with an extra layer of electrical tape for color on some of the previous ones, but whatever... the point is, now, clear adhesive exists! And it's reasonably rated at 5 lbs, which is perfect! So, yeah, enjoy your new CMax Shelf Fixer Thingies v2.0! :victory:

Yup, same link as before. Here it is again, for easier clicking. Thanks for asking!

It's been awhile since I've made them (or since I've noticed anyone ask - sorry about that), but yeah, I suppose I could re-open shop if people are still interested. :)

I sold the Michelins immediately after buying the CMax, without even trying to drive on them in the snow, simply because reviews led me to believe they would not perform as well in the snow as the Continentals. In hindsight, I suppose I could have tried the Michelins first, to see how right or wrong the prevailing opinions really were, but then I would not have been able to sell them as "brand new". ;)

One year and almost 30k miles later, I can say that our Continental PureContact with EcoPlus tires are holding up great. They're quiet, comfortable, perform reasonably well* in the snow, and we've been averaging 41mpg on them, which I know isn't among the best, but it's certainly not bad either. The tread still looks deep enough to last another winter at least, and probably even another whole year. All in all, I'm happy with my purchase, and will continue to recommend them. --- *To be fair, my wife did get stuck going uphill on ice one particularly terrible winter morning last year, but we were not the only ones having trouble that day, which means I have to wonder if any tires would've been adequate. That might've been an "AWD or stay home" kind of day, and we were fine absolutely every other day. Remember, we're in Colorado, so we saw our fair share of snow. Studded tires probably would've gone right up the hill that day, but then again, studs can't be used year-round, and they'll never average 41mpg, so again, it depends on your priorities, but if your needs match ours, I think these are the way to go, at least 99% of the time.

I've had no "major" issues with my CMax, and it has over 20k miles on it. The worst/only thing to go wrong was navigation accuracy (the screen would indicate that I was ~1000 feet to the South of where I actually was, and plot routes accordingly), but one trip to a dealership had that resolved in about an hour. All in all, I'm very happy with this car. It's probably the nicest car I've ever owned, and I've owned several. To be clear, I say probably because I used to own a Solara convertible, and any car with a roof that comes off is always going to be remembered fondly. ;)

I tried using MapQuest's "Send to Car" feature recently and it did NOT work. The error message wasn't helpful. Then I realized that my Sync subscription had lapsed. Apparently, while free, that still requires annual renewal. You need to visit syncmyride.com and click that you want your free Sync subscription for another year. Yeah, you gotta say that. It doesn't just happen. :Sigh: Whatever. Anyway, so with that done, I returned to MapQuest, and "Send to Car" works again! If anyone is having problems, try that.

FWIW, I don't tuck my IntroTech Ultimate into the headliner. I rest it behind the visors. This allows it get closer to the mirror, actually, but that's not why I do it; I do it because I think it's easier, faster, and doesn't involve possibly putting undue wear on the front edge of the headliner.

With only a little bit of practice, I think the Introtech Sunshade becomes not very difficult at all to put up or take down. My wife and I each have no trouble with it. It works very well, and personally, I think it looks a lot nicer than any other sunshade I've ever seen, in this thread or elsewhere. Oh course, to each their own. If you've already bought an Introtech and you don't like it, I won't try to change your mind. That's just silly. But if you haven't bought one yet, don't let the disapproval in this thread sway you completely. We love ours.

It's about $50, but you get what you pay for. It really is quite well made. Every time I use it, I think, yeah, this was worth it.

I have to assume the lessees would get smaller checks, right? I mean, because the check is supposed to represent the additional fuel cost for five years of ownership, but lessees wouldn't have the car that long, and therefore their expected fuel consumption would be lower... I don't know of anything, but it seems like that would be the case. And that said, lessees, don't get your hopes up. If your checks are the same size, great. If they're smaller, just keep in mind that would make sense.

Yup, I received another check last week, and I had already received one several months ago. When I bought the car, the window sticker did say 47 MPG, and after 25k miles, 40 MPG is what I'm getting, so this EPA revision seems to be spot on for my experience. That said, I wasn't upset before or anything, because I never expected 47 MPG in the first place, because I've never owned a car which actually gets the mileage on the window sticker... but I guess, that's only until now. :)

Crazy as it sounds, I'm considering maybe doing that, perhaps next year. As is, my SE is already worth more than I owe on it, but next year, I expect that difference to be even larger. So maybe, just maybe, I'll swap it for a lease on a '15 or '16 SEL, because if the numbers crunch nicely, why not?

;) Or, don't bother with salsaguy's website, and just call me right from the start, because I'm going to be awesome. You'll see. You'll all see! Really though, I'm just trying to learn how to be the kind of dealer that customers say good things about. Thanks everyone for your (continued?) input!

When I bought my CMax, I didn't go to a dealership at all. I used an auto broker service. Specifically, I used H.M.Brown & Associates, because I had used them before, years ago, with my last car. Things went so smoothly with them last time, I didn't even think of calling anyone else this time. If you're curious, here's how they work. I can honestly say that I like their business SO MUCH that I recently applied for a job there, and I was hired! Yay! :) But I'm really not here to ask you to buy a car from them! ...because, duh, that would be silly. Everyone here already has an awesome new car! (...of course, if you wanted another one... haha, jk. ;)) No, what I'm really asking is... Why did you choose the dealer that you did? Have you ever heard of an auto broker? What, in your opinion, makes for a good car-buying experience? Or, if you had a bad experience, why? I want to learn what other people like and don't like, so I can learn how to be the kind of person that people enjoy working with, and coming back to. Like I said, for me, H.M.Brown is the kind of company worth coming back to, but what about other people? What do you like? Also, what made you choose a CMax in the first place? What makes you choose any car? How flexible were you on colors, options, stuff like that? I know that I, for example, am generally not very flexible. I always want very specific things. Is that just me, or are most people like that too? Seriously, I'm just trying to learn. I'm brand new to this business. Here's your chance to shape me into the type of salesman you wish more people were. Thank you, so much, for any help and/or advice!

Update: I took the car to the dealership yesterday, and had TSB 14-0037 applied, for "inaccurate GPS position fix". Everything seems fine so far. :) While I was there, they also applied another software update, which adjusts the seat belt tension, or something? I don't even know. I'm just really impressed that can be addressed by software, and that Ford had the initiative to do it. Anyway, I'll let you know if the navigation arrow drifts off into a field again.

I started having this problem a few weeks ago. I don't use Nav all that often, so it's been easy to ignore, but when I do need/use it, the fact it's so useless has become extremely annoying. I'll be attempting to schedule a dealer visit soon, but it seems like a crap shoot whether I'll get a dealership willing to look at it, or one that just says, "Yup, known issue, no solution available." It'll really piss me off if the latter happens, but reading this thread, it seems like every dealership is different, and it could go either way. Ugh. :sad: Here's an example of the problem, by the way, for those fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with it... ...notice how the location arrow on the screen is off to the right of the highway, but I am actually ON the highway, about to go under an overpass. See also how the directions are based on the incorrect assumption that I'm on the road parallel to the highway, so they're no help. (PS: I've pulled over to the side of the highway to take this picture. That the overpass happens to be visible in the shot was just lucky. I didn't plan it that way, but it does happen to very conveniently demonstrate that my actual position is ~1000' to the left of the arrow.)

Regular application of ArmorAll (or equivalent, I guess) (is there an equivalent, come to think of it?) (well, whatever) should also prevent the dash from cracking. I'm pretty sure you're right that it's UV damage which causes that, but strictly speaking, a sunshade isn't the only way to prevent UV damage. I mean, it's an added benefit, I suppose, but I think the main reason for a sunshade is to block heat.

I don't know Michigan, but I assume it wouldn't be worth the hassle there, if it's generally cold or pleasant year-round. In Colorado, a sunshade is only necessary for about half the year, because it doesn't get super hot all that often, but when it does, yes, they absolutely help. I always tint all side and rear windows, so that helps, but the windshield always lets sun and heat in. With the CMax's windshield being roughly the size of a basketball court, that's a lot of sun getting in, and with it, a lot of heat, so I consider one of these shades more useful in this car than it would be in most.

The high voltage battery is already warrantied for 100k miles. I can't imagine (although I don't actually know) any warranty would be available for longer than that.

It's been awhile, so I don't hate them anymore. I've kinda gotten used to them. I don't really like 'em either, though. ;)

Point is, I'm clearly spoiled, and can no longer recognize whether a non-AWD car is good in the snow or not. By comparison, none of them are. ;)

Since my previous car was a Subaru, the best I can say about the CMax in the snow is that it's capable, but it's certainly not confident. It'll get the job done, and if your previous car couldn't, then I can understand being impressed with this one. But as a word to wise for anyone who already has a car that tramples through snow like a beast, you should know that buying a CMax is going to require some serious adjustments to your driving style. For example, in the Subaru, whether it was snowing, or how much it had snowed, had no bearing on whether I left my house. If I needed something, I went and got it, because I could, and it wasn't even difficult. With the CMax, if the snow is fresh and deep enough, and the plows haven't been by recently enough, I really have to ask, "Are we sure there's nothing in the house to eat?" and/or "How important is attending that party, really?" Again, I can leave the house in the snow if I need to, but I just don't want to. Driving a CMax in the snow is difficult, whereas driving a Subaru in the snow had been like, "What snow?"

I have the lint-free cloth provided for wiping the screen in there. If you fold it up, it fits just snugly enough to be perfect. I forget if I'm using the clip which seems to have been intended for credit cards, or the one which seems to have been intended for USB thumb drives, but whichever one it is, it works. :)