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That's a very interesting idea! It didn't work for me, though. Turning off the Auto Dim (and playing around in the MFT Display section) did not help the instrument dimmer retain its setting.

Well, if you had my car you could have as much delay as you want :) Seriously, thanks so much you guys! I think we have established that there is a problem with my car. I just hope I can convince the next dealer (I am not going back to the first one). If anyone has official Ford documentation saying the dimmer should retain its settings, I would love to have it. The owner's manual implies this (saying the dimmer would go to default under certain conditions like battery disconnection), but apparently that's not good enough for my dealer.

That's an interesting point! It doesn't explain my problem, though. I normally have autolamp on, so the headlamps should (and do) only turn on when the ambient light is low, but the instrument light always starts at Max and I have to turn it down every time. I have also experimented with turning the headlamps on and off manually, but the result was the same.

Thanks, wab! My car was built on August 1, 2013. It's a C-MAX Hybrid SEL with 303A and Remote Start. I think there were two software updates since the build, and they were done at the dealer before delivery (8/22).

drdiesel1, thanks so much for your help! Could you confirm that the OK button was indeed necessary? In other words, if you started with the Max setting, lowered it but didn't press the OK button, the setting would revert back to Max the next time you turn on the car? Since I could only drop off the car early morning and pick it up late at night, all the discussion was done over the phone. On the second day, the dealer claimed they already checked an in-house C-MAX and it was doing the same thing, and it was completely normal for the dimmer setting to revert to Max every day. I took the car back last night. I didn't want to cause anyone any grief by escalating the problem from my end. I think I will just try my luck at another dealer. If anyone have access to more technical information that definitely states the dimmer should retain its settings (or even point to a possible diagnostic if it doesn't), I would greatly appreciate it. My concern is not so much about having to set the dimmer every day, but about this being an indicaiton of other problems down the road. Many thanks!

Thanks so much for checking this! Unfortunately, I had already experimented with the OK button and it didn't make any difference for me. In fact, I'm not sure the OK on the screen and the OK button on the steering wheel are "linked". The timing doesn't seem to match. No matter how quickly I pressed (or not pressed) the button, the notification took the same amount of time to clear itself.

Well, the dealer stuck to their guns and insisted that it was normal for the dimmer to auto-reset to MAX every day. They "checked everything and could not find any problem". They also managed to zero all my mpg figures (including the lifetime mpg) while they were "checking everything". Gee, thanks a lot! I think I'm done beating this dead horse.

Either "On" or "Autolamp". Same result.

I took the car to my dealer in the morning (before my post). It was my first ever encounter with Ford service, and it was quite interesting. The service advisor who took my car called me late afternoon. She said what I had was completely normal because the dimmer had a "reset button" (huh?). She quickly moved away from that and said her own Explorer also reset the dimmer every day and "all Ford vehicles were like that", and it only took two seconds to change the setting, so no big deal. She also said her shop foreman suggested I asked my salesperson to go over the car's operation with me again because (my words) I apparently did not know how to operate a dimmer switch. Well, I actually have an EE degree but that was beside the point. Thanks to this forum, I was able to tell her other C-MAX owners did not seem to have the same problem, so maybe it was not completely normal. She relented and decided to keep the car for another day, but I could almost see her rolling her eyes, forever branding me as someone who can't be bothered to spend two seconds to dim the light. I will report back.

Hi Folks, Does your instrument lighting dimmer retain its setting? Mine always resets to Max overnight and I have to turn it down every day. I know it's a trivial matter but if it's not supposed to do that maybe this is an indicatation of potential problems elsewhere. The owner manual says... "The illumination settings default to the maximum setting after the battery is disconnected then reconnected, or discharged then recharged."

Hi Folks, The C-MAX HYBRID SEL I ordered had been waiting at the dealer for a week while I was away. I guess it's a good thing the travel was so intense I didn't have much time to think about the car :) I will probably pick it up Tuesday. It was built on August 1st. It has 303A, Remote Start and Interior Protection. No Moonroof. I asked the salesperson to make sure FSA 12A04 and SYNC 3.6.2 are installed. Only the 12A04 showed up on ETIS as an outstanding FSA, though. How do I verify that these updates have been done before I drive it off the lot? Are there other updates I should ask for? Should I expect the $550 be taken off the price? The online window sticker still says 47. I guess that's a good sign I will get the $550. Any general tips about inspecting the C-MAX at the time of delivery would also be greatly appreciated! By the way, I plan to buy the lightest full-size spare (about 40 lbs), put it in a nice tire cover (http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=62), and just carry it everywhere. Has anyone done this? Will it fit upright behind the fully extended driver seat? I guess times are a-changing. I don't recall having so much drama buying a car before :)

This is true for public rebates, but MadManMoon was talking about the additional $750 "private cash" that came with the brochure. The expiration date is based on when the brochure was requested so everyone is different. I heard that as long as the dealer "attached" it to the order (whatever that means) before the expiration date you would get the rebate no matter when the car arrives. I don't know if this is true or not, but it's worth a shot. MadManMoon, did you give the numbers on that coupon to your dealer, and was it "attached" to your order?

Thanks for all the great advice! I think I will stay with the OE tires and carry a spare on road trips.

Hi folks, given the lack of a spare tire, has anyone considered putting run-flat tires on the C-Max? The fuel efficiency might suffer a bit, still... I'm thinking something like the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Run Flat found on some BMW and Mini Cooper models. They are LRR tires but probably not as fuel efficient as the Michelin Energy Saver A/S (the OE tires on the C-Max), and they are 5 lbs heavier. When on sale, they can be cheaper than the OE tires -- currently $516 vs. $716 on TireRack. I'm still waiting for my C-Max to be built. I'm considering having the dealer swap the tires before I pick up the car. Has anyone done this? I wonder how much credit I should expect for the OE tires that are practically brand new.