Nervous but Excited

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some help figuring out what's going on with my 2017 Energy. Everything was 100% perfect until I took it for a service at a Ford dealership in Colorado. Unfortuantely I moved out of state the day after I picked the car up again - so I can't go back to that dealership. The first thing I noticed was a sound coming frmo the back right week. The freequency was related to the driving speed, so I suspect it is related to the wheel. I am pretty sure that it's coming from the back right wheel, but it might be back left. At first the sound was almost undetectabloe. I hoped that it would magically go away. it didn't. I'm now a few thousand miles down the road and it's worse. It's not crazy bad or anythihng , but it's not great either, and the steering wheel seems to have developed a very slight shudder. Any advice would be apprecaited. If somebody has a shop recommednation in Boise, ID. Please let me know 🙂

Hey @EdH I'd love to get an update on your battery replacement. Did you do it? If so - how did it go? If not - why not? I've been wondering whether it's feasible to give my 2017 Energi a new battery that's way way way better than the battery it currently has. Not just a "good as a new C-Max" battery, but a "this is the best battery that 2023/2024 has to offer". Any thoughts?

Yeah, I desperately want to understand *why* the turning radius is so bad... It just doesn't make sense! Okay - good to know that there still isn't a big competitor in the space that I am unaware of.

I drive a 2017 Energi and I absolutely love it. My sister in law is in the market for a car. Home charging isn't an option for her, but I still think that the C-Max Hybrid is a really really good option for her needs. Are there any other cars that you would look at give the following specs: -price sensitivity -cargo space is important -MPG is important -Will be used for commuting, and weekend trips between LA and San Diego.

Thanks @jzchen The potential downsides look scary - any comments on that?

Great! THanks for the advice! I don't have a tonn of DIY Experience. Do you think this is a fun project that I can figure out myself with some effort on the internet... Or should it be left to the experts?

I have a 2017 Energi, and the headlights are too dim for my liking. Scratching around this forum and around the internet in general I am disappointed to see that increasing the brightness of the headlights is a surprisingly difficult task. Does anybody have a suggestion for the cheapest and easiest way to boost brightness?

The Energi has a 7.2 kWh battery pack, which means that - starting next year - used sales would qualify for up to $4k of subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act when the sale is made through a dealership. Surely this will increase the resale value of the car to those selling their used Energi's to the dealerships? On the other hand, it might decrease the value of the car if you try to make a private sale as the dealerships would effectively be able to offer the buyer a $4k discount that you will not be able to offer. ... Any thoughts?

Thanks! I have a regular 110V charger too - will take that along when I don't know what I'll be finding.

The receptacle seems to be a NEMA 14-30R... But this doesn't seem standard for level 2 chargers..? I'm going to get a convertor: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/nema-14-30p-to-6-20r-receptacle-adapter---ev/5105350399580671?ref=messenger_share&rt=54 And a level 2 charger: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/5103966699710748/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ad38044b2-d80e-4239-9d01-bc12d4f7322b

Whoa... a bit of exploring online and I see there are millions of different plugs. Here is a photo of my outlet. I thought a NEMA 14-50O would work for me, but only one side of the 90degree prong at the bottom would be filled. Any insights?

Update - my regular charger miraculously started working again. No idea why. BUT - I moved to a new apartment, and this place has a high voltage outlet. Any advice for buying a HV charging cable? Or can I again just buy the cheapest thing?

Thanks everybody - great answers as usual!

Is there any reason to not just buy the cheapest thing on Amazon? i.e. this: https://www.amazon.com/Lectron-Level-Charger-Extension-UL-Certified/dp/B08HHBDQ88/ref=sr_1_10?crid=W7Z1FBLB7VZ5&keywords=ev+charger&qid=1655241996&sprefix=ev+char%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-10 There is also a used C-Max charger in my area on Facebook Marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/549173226513315/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Aa5c80214-9c7f-4257-9eac-bb40f62bbee0 Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks both. I am leaning towards what @SnowStorm said. The full trailer is like $200 more expensive than the dolly. And I think it's worth it. A third option has emerged: To dive the car and ship the rest of the stuff using a Pod https://www.pods.com/moving-services/moving-costs