CarpeNivem

Well, it IS powered by Microsoft, after all (hence the inspiration). ;)

Hahahaha. I just had this idea, and couldn't resist... ...I don't know what it looks like in the car yet. :)

Supposedly, the only systems my local dealer uses are systems they know to be compatible with the existing keyless entry and alarm. For what it's worth, they did say that since I have an SE (which means no push-button start, or "magically" opening doors and lift-gate), that expands my options as to what's compatible. Most of the time, I wish I did have those magical features, because they're very cool sounding, but this might be one time when it comes in handy that I don't.

I just called the local Ford dealership (where our CMax was purchased) to inquire about adding remote start, and surprisingly enough, they do not install Ford OEM systems. I was told they've found those to be too problematic. They install Viper or Avital systems instead. Again, I was very surprised by that. In any case, if they're the ones doing the install, I think I can reasonably assume they'll do it correctly. They're a Ford dealership after all. They have to know how the CMax is wired, right? I'll absolutely check back to let you know if we decide to have one installed, which one, and how well it works (or doesn't?).

Here's the plan I just mentioned, in case you can't find it, because like I said, it's not exactly well-displayed on their website, but it is available without negotiation... http://www.siriusxm.com/subscriptions/packages/sirius/mostlymusic

Sirius actually does offer (though not very prominently) a package for $9.99/mo. I just signed up for that. I felt like, even if I let the subscription lapse, and waited for them to come down from their regular prices of $17.99/mo or $14.49/mo, I'd wind up pretty close to $9.99ish anyway, so I might as well just save the hassle and sign-up now. Although, to be honest, I have to say, all of those prices are too high for how terrible the audio quality of Sirius really is. Part of me hates the fact I'm giving them any money at all. Another part of me appreciates the convenience of how well integrated Sirius is into MFT, so I pay for it anyway, because while it's more expensive than I think it should be, it still beats the heck out of advertisement-laden FM or the trouble of obtaining and arranging MP3s on a thumb drive. Besides, in the end, we save so much on gas, we can afford an extra $10/mo. ;)

And here's that last one in the car... ...it's definitely my favorite so far. :)

Another variation on the theme ... I like this one because it's more iconic and less photographic, so I feel like it matches better, but to each their own. ;)

Made another one ... ... and I probably won't stop there. ;)

I use this phrase so often, it's almost a shame I didn't get a black one.

That dashboard shelf looks like stuff will fall off of it. ;) ;) No, but seriously, thanks for the pictures! Great job. Are you concerned at all about the angles the camera doesn't cover? I want to do this in my own car (ever since we got hit in that parking lot) (which, btw, was the second time this year that happened!) but I feel like, if I'm not covering all angles, what happens when someone hits me on another side? (* the other time it happened was in the car we owned before the CMax, and we just so happened to see it go down, but the person almost certainly would've fled the scene if we hadn't. I say this with quite a bit of certainty, based on my experiences with her over the days that followed.) But yeah, point is, twice in only a few months, our car struck and damaged in a parking lot, so I've definitely been giving security cameras a lot of thought. I just wonder if I'm being silly/excessive by wishing I had 3 or 4 of them. So, what are your thoughts on only having 1?

:)

Oh, absolutely. It's more than just OK to use; it's flattering. I love that people have been. :)

Year-round, the snowflake represents either what the climate system is trying to achieve, or what it's trying to combat. ;) (But most importantly, it matches the color scheme which Ford decided, and I just ran with.)

Thanks. While that does make sense, the reason I didn't is because a sun wouldn't be blue. As it is, I like that each quadrant contains only the matching color.

I found another variation on the Android logo... ...because I kinda changed my mind about the other one. It didn't really look right.

What direction do you have the dashcam facing, and are you concerned about the directions the camera is not facing? I'd love to do something similar, but I feel like I wouldn't be comfortable unless I had at least 3, maybe 4, cameras.

I've found that with a rubber mat in place, items don't slide. I have an OEM Ford mat (part number DM5Z-6111600-AA) and I've never had this problem. WeatherTech makes a cargo mat now as well (they didn't when I bought the Ford one) (which I like better anyway). I'd suggest either of those.

That snow shield thing looks very appealing, except for the interior strap. I think magnets on the A-pillar would've been a much better design. :(

I've always thought carbon fiber hoods look awesome. My wife, however, completely disagrees. Also, to be honest, even if I did talk her into a CF hood, I know me, and I'd super regret not getting the panoramic roof if I got a CF hood, because wow, those would look awesome together!

I don't understand the presumption that we all have LEDs like those above our license plates. Those aren't stock, are they? Was there a group buy or something once? (That I missed, I mean.)

And from that list, personally, I "deselect all" from the Summer category, then "deselect all" from the Winter category (because while great in the snow, they're awful in the not-snow), thus leaving only All Season. That trims the list from 120 to 68. I then change the "sort by" option from "price" to "customer reviews", and now we've got the tires I'm interested in. ;) Top of the list is the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus, followed by the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus. The specs are very similar. Speed rating, UTQG, price, class, etc. So between those two, it seems the Pirellis would be the way to go. So, why didn't I? Why did I choose the tires that customers voted second best, over their top favorite? Because in Tire Rack's own testing - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=171 - the Continentals performed quite a bit better than the Pirellis, especially in wet conditions. Again though, that's for my needs, which involve snow confidence. There's absolutely nothing wrong with making decisions based solely on initial purchase price, overall longevity, and MPG impact. Nothing wrong at all. I totally get that. But for other forum members who might be doing their own research, and might value snow confidence similarly to how I do, those are the tires I picked, and why.

That sounds like it will look awesome! Please post pics when you're done. And if you don't mind telling us how much it cost, I'd be curious to know. Thanks. :)

For me, snow traction is very important, so while the Michelin Energy tires that came on our cars are highly favored for their MPG ratings, I wanted to replace them anyway, and did so by purchasing a set of Continental PureContact with EcoPlus tires (which I haven't mounted yet, so can't I describe them; I'm still waiting for the order, which was just placed on Saturday). My decision was influenced heavily by this chart of user-reported surveys - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS - but also in part by the myriad of articles and posts (including the comment immediately above this one, for example) which always seem to agree with those numbers. If I didn't live in an area where snow traction was important, I probably would've left the OEM tires in place. They certainly seem good enough, especially if MPG is your top priority, and buying a CMax, it makes sense that it would be. For me though, high MPG was just a priority, but not necessarily my top one. ;)

I'm happy getting any money at all for them. I usually quick to discard OEM tires (though usually not this quick), because they never perform well enough in the snow. This is the first time I've opted to not even try first, hence parting with them while they're still good, and therefore being able to get any money at all. The PureContact tires I bought are quite much better reviewed for snow usage, while still supposedly being fuel efficient too. If I lose some (I don't expect to lose much) MPG, but gain traction, that'll be a fair trade as far as I'm concerned. Maybe parting with the Michelins for $50/ea wasn't such a great deal after all though. Oh well, I still feel alright about it. :)