RedLdr1

Andrew, The electronics guru at the dealership resorted to some "old school" trouble shooting techniques. After the car was shut off he started looking at the different circuits to see where there was still a power draw. Finding a "hot" circuit that shouldn't have been "hot" led him to the Instrument Panel.... It has been 5,000 miles since I had the IP replaced and I haven't had an issue since then.... :)

See Here for a full overview of what was replaced in my C-Max. If you have any questions or comments about my issues please reply in that thread not in this one... Let's try and keep this on topic....

I have the same "problem" with my 2012 Harley Davidson Tri-Glide Ultra Classic "trike". :) It does not come close to hitting it's EPA Combined Rating of 38MPG on a very good day. Harley has a very disclaimer on the EPA Rating on their website: "Estimated from fuel economy tests on a sample motorcycle from the corresponding family conducted by Harley-Davidson under ideal laboratory conditions. Not all motorcycle models undergo fuel economy testing. Fuel economy and mileage may vary among motorcycle models within a family. Your mileage may vary depending on your personal riding habits, weather conditions, trip length, vehicle condition and vehicle configuration and other conditions. Break-in mileage may vary." I guess I won't bother the "experts" at CR over it... ;)

Hmm...I disagree. When I purchase a vehicle that has not been sold in the North American market before, that was modified from its European version for its sale here, in its first model year, with a new power train, I think that qualifies as an "early adopter". And since MFT is vehicle line specific, as evidenced by Rev 3.5.1 not being able for hybrids but shipping for others, that is also in "early adopter" territory....but not as much as the C-Max. I do agree MFT had a well deserved bad reputation before this Version, it has killed Ford's JD Powers Quality results.

I couldn't resist, I spent too long working with, around, or against MS products in the Telecom industry.... ;) And you are correct, we are all effectively "customer beta sites" as early C-Max adopters, I knew that going in to the deal and since I have a good dealer I'm not worried...

What has happened to you? That's easy, you are coming down with a early case of the Hypermiler disease... ;) Suddenly silly stuff "matters" in the quest for the best MPG numbers! :) Your car said you used 8.99 Gallons and you pumped in 9.35 Gallons....that is a variance of only 4%... The car and gas pump are not synchronized. And you cannot fill the gas tank to the exact same point every time even if you use the same pump every time as there are too many variables. That 4% variance is actually pretty darn good...

They will be for as long as you own your C-Max..... ;)

I was just at the dealer this morning getting an oil change and asked about 3.5.1's availability. The Service Adviser showed me the on-line info from Ford's service software stating it would be in the first quarter. Look at the bright side, since the non-BEV vehicles already are doing the "Beta" test maybe it will be somewhat debugged by the time our version comes out... :)

Since the C-Max already has a air compressor in the TMK I went "cheap" with just a plug kit just to get the plugs and tools. Between the TMK, the tire plug kit, and a couple of BIG cans of "Fix-A-Flat" anything that can be fixed on the roadside should be "do able" with those tools. If not it's cell phone time.... Note: For those of you considering adding a Tire Plug kit to your TMK the "string style" plugs dry out and the adhesive won't hold after a few years. I advise checking it annually as you have no way of knowing how long it sat before you bought it. I replace, or add new plugs, to the kit in my Harley every two years due to the heat around here...

Not a "super" long trip but I have driven from North Georgia to Orlando, 450 miles each way, which is about an eight hour drive. The C-Max is fine zipping along at 65MPH on I-75, one of the most boring roads in the USA, and the Florida Turnpike, another boring drive, with no issues. My SEL is comfortable, the XM/Sirius and my iPod keep it from being too boring, the Navigation system took me "door to door" with no errors or stupid routes, and the "ECO" Cruise Control works just fine. The biggest crisis I experienced is there are still no Dunkin Donuts coffee shops located between Macon, GA and Gainesville, FL a terrible situation to say the least.... :cry: Driving at 65MPH, ECO Cruise On, my gas mileage averaged around 40MPG going "downhill" to Florida, in 30 degree nasty weather, and one of my all time MPG lows for the C-Max at 35MPG coming back "uphill" to home. That 35MPG segment was right after Christmas and I drove through that really nasty storm and had to deal with a heavily loaded car, low temperatures, high head winds, bad traffic, and idiot tourists and still managed 35MPG. In contrast my SHO gets around 21MPG going "downhill" to Orlando and 19MPG coming home "uphill" with the Cruise set a 70MPH....or 80MPH for that matter. The C-Max is not nearly as forgiving as the SHO on the MPG if you crank up the speed past 65MPH....

When I had my battery problems jumping the car did not immediately start the ICE, it initially came "On" in EV mode. I had to tell the Road Service guy to go ahead and disconnect the jumpers as I was "On" in EV mode. The Road Service guy was totally confused when I told him to disconnect and even more confused when the ICE started about a minute or so later...

Actually you can check pricing through dealers who advertise on line... "Google" the following terms for finding dealers on line for price comparisons on those products: "Ford Extended Warranty" That brought up several dealers selling Ford's Extended Warranty. "Ford Extended Service Plan" That brought up several dealers selling Ford's Service plan. There is a lot of overlap between the two searches..... If the Alarm System is a Ford Part call the dealership get the Part Number and "Google" it for a comparison... My dealership gives 10% off most Ford OEM Accessories without any haggling and will do better if you are willing to negotiate... But don't forget to add in the installation costs... ;) EDIT: Also See This Thread for a previous discussion about the Warranty and Service Plans... When purchasing the Extended Warranty you are in effect purchasing insurance, only you can decide if it is worth it....

I believe, but I'm not sure, that is for techs to access the shifter assembly. See Page 210 in your Owners Manual for the procedure to release the transmission from Park in an emergency. The panel you're popping, on the Drivers side, is for the tech to access the shifter to put it back together....

I do not use full flow on any vehicle I currently own. I've seen to many gas tank "burps" :nonono: down the sides of vehicles... Back when I had my diesel Excursion, and was pumping in around fifty gallons, I used full flow so I could finish filling up on the same day I started... ;)

Well the C-Max did come from Europe, but it is not available their as a hybrid so that dealers answer is a little bit of a reach. Maybe they meant the diesel version sold their but not here... Bad sales people can do more product damage than good engineering will ever overcome. My wife is driving the C-Max this month and is seeing over 40MPG since the last fill up on January 6th.. That is with starting out on ICE for a couple miles since she a low battery every morning,(The car goes in to EV+ on the way home) low temperatures in the 25-35˚F range in the mornings, and running the heater as soon as she starts the car...I don't think she ever turns it off... Plus the head lights, radio, and heated seats... She has a "perfect hybrid commute" with a maximum legal speed of 45MPH, lots of hills, and stop lights. She has quickly learned how to get in to EV Mode and maximizes her Braking and coasting.... While 40+MPG may not be 47MPG it is darn close enough considering the current variables... I suspect she will do a lot better when the temps go up and the winter blend "swill" that passes for gas goes away... Now if I could just break in to the low 20MPG range in the SHO I'd be happy... ;)

Why? Because quite often the pumps click off well before my tank is full. And no two pumps are exactly alike in the amount of back pressure it takes to cause it to shutoff. I have had pumps click off when there was still room in the gas tank for five gallons. And the Gas Pump based Vapor Recovery Systems are going away, see this article on GreenCar Reports for the details...

I some bumper as well, the camera has a wide angle lens so you can see if something, like a small child, is directly behind your car...

Not all of these are "hybrid" only acronyms but they tend to get get tossed around a lot... SOC - State of Charge (HEV battery level) HEV - Hybrid Electric Vehicle CEL - Check Engine Light MIL - Malfunction Indicator Light ACC - Automatic Climate Control ABS - Antilock Braking System DRL - Daytime Running Lights E10 - 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline E15 - 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline ECU - Engine Control Unit HPCU - Hybrid Power Control Unit CC - Cruise Control FE - Fuel Economy HID - High Intensity Discharge LIPO - Lithium Polymer Battery TPMS - Tire Pressure Monitoring System TMK - Tire Mobility Kit ECM – Engine / Electronic Control Module

That is a very true statement... Cheap films only darken the windows, good films have high heat (Solar Energy Rejection) and more importantly high UV (Ultraviolet Ray Protection) rejection numbers... The specifications for the FormulaOne films can be found Here, click on Product Specs in the upper right hand corner. The Pinnacle 35% I use has the following specifications: Visible Light Transmission 39% Total Solar Energy Rejection 54% Ultraviolet Ray Protection 99.5% Glare Reduction 57% Visible Light Reflection 7% The 3M Ceramic CM40 film I would have to use here compares fairly closely, since I used a 35% I'm right between the CM30 and CM 40. If I had went with a darker tint I could have had higher numbers but it would not be street legal, 35% is the maximum allowed for front door windows. Here it is illegal to tint your windshield except for a strip across the top, 6 or 8 inches I think, so I didn't bother with it...

Even on a bad day the C-Max still gets twice the gas mileage of my SHO.... :) I needed a small "station wagon" and the C-Max meets my requirements better than anything else on the market. This is my third hybrid and is easily the best...

Cost and because "old power hungry incandescent bulbs" work just fine for most folks... :) I have HID's on my SHO, and prefer them to regular lighting, but it hard to justify the additional cost on a C-Max. Plus customer issues, when "Joe Average" finds out a HID headlight bulb, not covered by the warranty, is $150 (OEM Not eBay Chinese Junk) he would go nuts. That is one reason most manufactures only offer HID on their higher end vehicles... Same for LEDs to a lesser degree...

Sharon, The windshield washers are factory filled with a mix that will melt most ice. You can also buy spray on Windshield De-icers, (Prestone, Rain-X, CRC are a few brands) at most automotive stores. And of course there is the "old faithful" ice scrapper... ;) Those will work out cheaper than letting the car run forever trying to defrost it... If you know you are going to be dealing with frost / icing a lot you can get a external cover for the windshield to make it really easy to clear...

Not unless you can seriously beat the EPA 47MPG estimate... :) That is a little bit more than I paid but I have more than one near by dealer and I've done several vehicles at their shop...

Hi Sharon, I have found the key to aftermarket window tinting is to have a professional do it with a quality product. I have also seen too many "Wal-Mart" tint jobs using cheap films that peel, bubble, crack, and look awful in no time. I have been using FormulaOne tint on every vehicle I have owned in the last roughly fifteen years. I have never had any problems what so ever. If it does have a problem the film has a Lifetime Warranty. Your local FormulaOne dealer can advise you on what level of tint is legal in your area. They can also go over the different Series of films available. I recommend the Pinnacle Series film as it will not interfere with electronics, such as cell phones, GPS, etc like a metallic based film possibly can in some cases.

If you are in the North Georgia area I highly recommend Cherokee Ford in Woodstock, Georgia. When I had the problems with the Instrument Panel "killing" the 12VDC battery, see Here, they were very responsive to the issue and provided a loaner without being asked...